THE LOVING HEART OF GOD
We
cannot doubt the loving nature of the heart of God. The Scriptures are
full of invitations for us to repent of our sins and return to God and
He will welcome us back like a long-lost child. God is a God of
forgiveness; He is not interested in holding our sins against us. He is
interested in whether or not we want to be free of them. Let us reflect on what this might mean for us.
One of the natural human responses to sin is resentment and
unforgiveness towards the sinner. This is not the way that God’s heart
works. Neither should it be the way we respond to those who sin against
us, no matter how badly the person may have wronged us.
Our challenge is to meditate on such parables as the Lost
Sheep and the Prodigal Son and ask God to transform our hearts so we can
respond to
those who sin against us as He does. This is not an easy task. We are
all sinners and, thus, we should be able to understand how important it
is to forgive. But that still does not make it any easier to do. Let us
not give up, though, in the pursuit of the higher goal.
It is the heart of the Father that we have to develop in order to
respond well to those who sin against us, regardless of whether they ask
for forgiveness or not. Think of the parents of a child who does
something wrong. Just because the child has sinned does not mean that
they reject the child. On the contrary, they want to draw the child back
to them and forgive him, at the same time teaching the child that his
action was wrong and should not be repeated. The desire of a parent is
to be united in peace with the child, not separation. This, too, is the
way it should be with us when people sin against us.
Our challenge is to embrace the call of forgiveness. Just as God has
forgiven us, so should we forgive those who sin against us. Does this
sound familiar to you? We say it every time we pray “The Lord’s Prayer.”
Let us put these words into action in our lives. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL
REFLECTION
QUESTIONS: Have you sought God’s forgiveness lately? Is there anyone
who needs your forgiveness, too? Why not forgive him now?
Jesus,
teach me not only to love the way You do, but also to forgive those who
sin against me the same way You have forgiven my sins.
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